The Death Of Stalin

Frankly, I was afraid of schlock. But all 106 minutes of the film have passed, that is, on one breath. Never put on pause to escape. Great movie. Genre? I would call it a Comedy of the absurd with elements of black-black humour based on real historical events. And the real story the film should be sufficiently accurate.

The British are generally very good political satirical dystopia. I watched you, for example, “Brazil” Terry Gilliam? No? What do you mean?! So it is impossible! Look sure. And if “Brazil” you will like what I like, “Death of Stalin” is your movie. And if you do not like? Well, in this case, I beg you, never, hear, never! – do not participate in discussions about the art of cinema.

But I’m not talking about “Brazil”. I’m talking about “Stalin’s Death”. About this great British-French film, which in Russia was denied a distribution certificate. By the way, I note parenthetically, I would recommend not pumping very much. Deprivation distribution certificate – this is not a ban of the film. It’s just such a gesture corresponding to the state officials who inform citizens that the state of this film does not approve. Their right. Why do they think about their assumptions on this matter, I would report at the end of the post. In the meantime, just to share why I think this film is so wonderful.

This any movie? Any movie is a story a story the language of cinema. But the main thing in any story? This we know thanks to clever polisher from the film “I step through Moscow” – the truth of the characters. Polisher, right, believed that the real truth of nature is exclusively egoistic ambitions of the character, which he can cover with beautiful reasoning. With this you can bet. But selfish motives, of course, present in many of our actions. And even when sometimes it seems that man acts only altruistically, a real playwright if rummage in his mind, will definitely find there something else.

Well, for example, from childhood we were taught that Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin) altruistically fighting for the happiness of poor people, even went for the idea in prison. In fact, the dominant idea of Lenin was the absolute hatred of the Russian people and Russian culture, coupled with just a fanatical hatred of the Royal family and the thirst for revenge on the king for the shooting of his brother (Ulyanovsk vendetta). The implementation of this hatred was the main inducement which lay at the root of many of the actions of Lenin. If ever the film, which will manifest the truth of Lenin’s character is going to be a great film. But while we know movies okarikaturennoe Lenin – so nimble cunning defender of the downtrodden.

But in “Death of Stalin” true nature of the characters fully exposed. The lust for power and thirst to stay alive at any cost – that’s what motivates the characters.

The protagonist of the film, the protagonist, of course, not Stalin, and Nikita Khrushchev, which just delicately played by Steve Buscemi. I can’t even imagine how he managed so deeply to comprehend the psyche of one of the leaders of Stalin’s gang of assassins – members of Stalin’s Politburo – and be able to show how he from an ordinary clown-parsley on the drinking of Stalin turns into a very hard and energetic key political player, who skillfully, quickly and – most importantly – successfully organizes the conspiracy against Beria, his antagonist.

Beria has played – and played very good – Simon Russell Beale. And again – one hundred percent hit. Simon Russell bill little that got into the texture of the Stalinist Soviet Union, but also managed to convey how bloody Stalin’s hangman Beria in the light of dramatically changed circumstances begins to become the main liberal and defender of freedom.

In the scene of the first meeting of the Politburo after Stalin’s death, a fantastically beautiful political game Beria, when he actually puts Khrushchev in such a position that Khrushchev forced to disagree with the first sentence of Beria to stop all repression and begin to free the prisoners of concentration camps.

And of course the third role, which is literally in love with the first appearance of the character on the screen is the Marshal in the performance of Jason Isaacs.

Jason Isaacs known to the Russian audience (as well as many viewers around the globe) for her role as cold and cruel magical racist Lucius Malfoy (father of Draco Malfoy) from the epic Harry Potter. Zhukov, he plays differently. Zhukov performed by the Isaacs – just baby. Beetles in the film – a charismatic fearless soldier, which symbolizes power, so to speak, goodness – how do the forces of good could be in a Stalinist environment.

It bugs Isaacs bring to practical completion the conspiracy Khrushchev-Buscemi. I don’t know how you have to be a moron to claim that the “Death of Stalin” somehow diminishes the image of the Soviet man, if this movie is such a bright palette drawn the image of Zhukov, Zhukovsky and generals.

Of course Isaacs adds Zhukov notes the big cowboy, the “good guy” from some American Western (and not randomly in the film there is the image of the Western genre). But it’s still comedic, the absurd, not historical-biographical movie.

Other heroes is also very good. The flavor of Stalin’s son, Vasily the drunkard (played by Rupert Friend) that just because a would be Stalin’s son, quickly became a General (this is the way of Stalin’s modesty).

Malenkov in the performance of Jeffrey Tambor’s face is not very similar, but the character is spot-on. Sluggish and hesitant when it is a matter of life and death, he creates a good backdrop for the violent activities of Khrushchev. And I wonder – Beria certainly has paid off, bet on Malenkov, and if he made an Alliance with Khrushchev? What would be then? For the country and people it would be very sad.

Dynamics of the film – perfectly built. As I said, the film looks at one go. The plot is tied with the Symphony concert, which is broadcast on the radio and the record of which Stalin asks me to record.

In fact, it immediately starts the absurd and grim grotesque “Death of Stalin”. But it is not absurd and grotesque sci-Fi film “Brazil”. No, that’s absurd and the grotesque are quite specific to the Stalinist Soviet Union.

In the film, Stalin asked me to send him a recording of the concert. But the sound engineer didn’t record the concert, and the concert had already ended and the crowd began to disperse. What to do? The horror! It takes only right decision – to repeat the concert and record a replay to be able to send a note to Stalin and the inevitable repression. Half of the audience had already left and had to drive people from the street to preserve the acoustics of the full hall and a sound of cheers.

Absurd? Fiction? But not quite. Known quite a real case. When after 22 June 1941, Stalin had finally recovered from his first fright, and realized that no one would be shot and it will clear up the mess mess, which brewed, it was necessary to make a record of the treatment of Stalin to the people. Stalin gave his speech, which was recorded by the ad hoc group. But after recording the sound and to my horror found that it didn’t record. Whether the microphone was something, felts and other technical problems, but important treatment of Stalin has been written. This is full Alles. Is execution without any indulgence. Sound, which to lose there was nothing that appealed to Stalin: “Comrade Stalin, we have decided to do a second take performances, in order to select the best fragments”. Stalin sighed, but obediently read his speech again. The second time the recording was made.

So in the movie “Death of Stalin” the scene is quite authentic. As a Comedy it is only because of the number of participants. Or, for example, when the first conductor loses consciousness and into the hall quickly deliver new Director, pulled her out of bed (on the background of arrests conducted by the NKVD) and delivering the chat room in a housecoat.

This is ridiculous. In General, the film is full of such jokes clean British humor. For example, a hilarious scene of destruction staff Kuntsevo dacha after Stalin’s death. Especially the moment when Nkvdshniki pushed outside doubles of Stalin.

Refined English humor. But people are being killed. Killed just because they were at work at the time of death of the Owner. Yes, kill. So it’s not just the humor, but – black-black humor.

And the scene in which Malenkov selects girls for the photo “like Stalin”? And the girls are standing in front of the grave of Stalin. Absurd, grotesque. This can not be! Alas, in Stalin’s Soviet Union, a lot of what could be, which seems to be something in a normal country can not be. Just because Stalin’s Soviet Union – this was not a normal country.

Grotesque in the film very much. Of course, the grotesque is the constant flashing Nkvdshnikov nearly every scene. They even stand in the concert hall. And of course we know that in 1953, when Stalin died, the NKVD was not – since 1946 instead, there was the NKVD of the USSR. And of course too grotesque are the arrests on the instructions of Beria – the crowd of officers and soldiers in caps with blue tuley run around the houses and dragged people into trucks and buses.

As pure fiction is the bunker Beria, which are the torture and camera, that for personal pleasures Lavrentiy dragged girls. Of course in the real USSR it was split – people were tortured and shot in one place, and girls Beria raped in another. But it is Comedy of the absurd.

In the end, gentlemen, comrades, because will watch you with pleasure, I don’t know, let’s say the movie “ACE of aces” with Belmondo, in which you did not touch the grotesque footage, in which the Gestapo officers carried out searches and arrests. I think that in Germany of the 30’s everything was exactly like in the movies? Not at all. But you don’t seem overly grotesque and implausible films that demonstrate the lawlessness of the SS and the Gestapo. Why a different estimate of when exactly it also shows the lawlessness of the Stalinist secret services? But in fact, at times, to convey to the masses how horrible the system is, we have to show her a grotesque.

And, most importantly, it is this grotesque allows you to precisely understand the motivation of the actions of Khrushchev or Zhukov, when they decide to destroy Beria.

And of course a good movie should be good until the very last frame. A great Director finding photos with the shaded faces on the photos in the closing credits. Symbolically these face smeared can you say about the age of not less than the detailed story.

Well, in the final my version, why this great film has decided a distribution certificate. In my opinion, it doesn’t take that someone out there was offended, as shown by Stalin.

Stalin in the movie, by the way, live only shows the first few minutes of the film and nothing evil about him does not say. Adrian McLaughlin played Stalin a kind good-natured old man, who routinely sign orders for executions, but mostly likes to sit with friends and laugh at their jokes. Of course humorously played up the puddle of urine, in which lay Stalin all night. But this, in my opinion, the little things. The main thing here is quite different.

In the movie “Death of Stalin” very well shows the dynamics of secession relations yesterday friendly representatives of the highest political elite, who immediately after the death of the leader begin to intrigue against each other, and eventually kill one of their group. Handsome beetles from the movie that appears only in dress uniform with medals, somehow reminiscent of Mr. Shoigu, who so diligently (and so sadly) cosplay Zhukova real. Khrushchev performed Buscemi as something very similar to the current aging Putin. And the final film with a short right that even Khrushchev ten years will throw Brezhnev – is also suggestive. And although the elite of the Russian government may seem to be knit and United, but in reality it is several clans who hate each other and when Putin will disappear (die, go away – no matter how), the fight at the top will be about the same as in the movie “Death of Stalin”. And the film is well shown that is one who only yesterday considered indestructible and all-powerful, suddenly tomorrow is handcuffed to a pipe in the toilet. And the army in the film too obviously a formidable force that has their own ideas about the political future. In General, my opinion is that the “Death of Stalin” too obvious marking is not the image of Stalin (which, in fact, nothing new is in this story to add?), and causes some very unpleasant associations in the top relative to the not-so-distant political future. Calls this film the thoughts that many of the authoritative men of the Russian Federation (in politics and business) want to drive away. And for good reason. Just have to think about it today, and not on 18-03-18.

Here such thoughts aloud. In General, my highest recommendation to all fans of dystopia and English humor. The “Death of Stalin” is five points. For those who like movies in the style of “Yurkino dawn”, “Death of Stalin” look strongly recommend. Don’t like it.

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